Coombs Mill 2012 Edition
by Michael Ballard, update by Lez Marwick

Note: This course contains 1024x1024 textures and can only be played in version 1.07 or later of Links 2003

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 2070 Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length 2012-04-19  119,107,092  bytes 72  6899 yards Type Style CRZ Filename FICTIONAL  WOODLAND  CoombsMill2012Edition.crz  Course ID Course Key b8ac6aec2ef64cf8bd9292246e734842  c3e00300f6b1b1ecda03292568682c95  COURSE NOTES Coombs Mill 2012 Edition I received a request to update this course after my work on Hunter's Wood. After initially stating that I don't do requests, I took a look at the course and decided that it would work perfectly with many of the Hunter's Wood textures, and it did indeed deserve to be updated, as it is another superb 2001 course! Like Hunter's Wood, my aim while upgrading it was to keep it as close to the designer's original concept as I could. I have also, once again, made as few changes as possible to the greens. I was tempted to change the bunkers, as the way they have been created creates ugly shadows, straight edges, problems seam blending, and path mapping, but as the designer stated that one of his aims when designing the course was these individually distinctive bunker shapes, I decided to leave them as they were, and re-texture them as best as the style would allow.. Unfortunately the 3D had to be stripped out, as some was unavailable. This means that the buildings mentioned in the original readme have been replaced.. I have made a few changes to the mesh to facilitate seam blending, but the majority of the course remains as Michael Ballard intended it to be. Some blending was not possible due to the state of the mesh, but I've done the majority of the course. Here is a list of changes in Coombs Mill 2012 Edition: Hi-res textures added Extra textures added Custom tee markers added Textures seam blended Fairway edge added Dirt wear added to tees Custom flag added New custom cameo Extraneous sharp edges removed Extreme pins relocated, as near as possible to original positions Red barn on 17th aged Some greens modified to improve playability using challenging conditions Stock panorama added to hide voids when using smart cam and improve appearance Fixed the bug where AI can't drop on the 1st hole (and other holes) due to rogue texture extrusions Adjusted hole boundaries Corrected hole preview typos Added crowds, officials, media, and billboards I hope you enjoy Michael's excellent course! All the best......... Lez CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) Description Fictional, heathland course Location Strongly influenced by the landscape of Maine. Conditions I would limit myself to M*/M*, and then only for a challenge. Concept  8/10 A cosy and under-rated course, Coombs Mill has a fantastic quarry-and-heathland setting, and fully makes the most of it with imaginative and fun designs, not least on the opening and closing holes. It has resulted in a fair few oddities, not least the disparity between front-and-back nines mentioned in the Readme, which strain credibility, but for the large part both the original and Lez's subtle updating are little short of brilliant. Appearance  6/10 I'm afraid I can't get on with the silly bunker shapes, which could easily have been fixed in the re-release, and the colour scheme is little short of garish in places. Unfortunately the loss of the buildings to the re-make has to be seen as a negative too; one which is only partially compensated by seam blends and hi-res textures. Playability  9/10 Always a quintessentially playable course, there are a multitude of Eagle opportunities and the views are incredible. Coombs Mill is very much the course for those who like to have a go, and some crafty wasteland hazards wait. There's a reason it's been fondly remembered and chosen for an update. Challenge  6/10 Lacking in length, and with some less-than-formidable long holes, Coombs Mill will still yield birdies and quite a few Eagles. Incongruously, the greens - if anything - seem steeper than they were originally, and it's surprising they weren't levelled in the update. As fun as it is, this course can't really escape the problem that the course is just too easy. Technical  6/10 I've mixed feelings about Lez's update. While his technical skills are not in doubt, and the course very much deserves a new lease of life, stripping out the 3D means at least one aspect of the design has been lost. This only serves to make other deficiencies all the more obvious. Overall Coombs Mill has always been terrific golf, with an outstanding layout. The remake is more than adequate but sacrifices a little of the charm. 35/50 Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. This course is available as a FREE download. Download course Please support Links Corner